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Security System
Has anyone installed a motion detector system on their outside area after consultation with their local police? The system takes a picture of the area in a pre determined time frame on detecting movement?
i installed a BLINK system after consulting with the police. A guest from Australia complained we were spying on their young children! They checked out without notice and demanded a full refund. I refused and booking.com have suspended my account!!!
this was 3 weeks ago and still suspended despite me sending in pics of the balcony area we are covering.
guests are informed about the system and invited to switch the system off if they do not want it!
can anyone explain what we have done wrong??
steve
Nearly every Booking,com hotel has security cameras in its hotel lobby, public hallways, swimming pool area, front entrance, parking lot, etc. So, why can't your private home?
By California law, property owners must have an entrance sign stating there are security cameras installed in public areas. See below sign example, which you can buy in most hardware stores.
Other private-home rentals have security cameras that ONLY are aimed at the house's front door, driveway and walkway entrance. This helps hosts (like us), if guests are bringing in unregistered friends, or having a large late-night party without permission, or proving a theft or fake accident on your property.
I think your Australian guests were looking for any reason to avoid paying their room rental fee and used your camera system as an excuse. Or these guests are super-paranoid of Big Brother watching them or are avoiding law enforcement.
You should not give your guests the option of turning-off your cameras during their stay. What's the point of installing them in the first place?
If your on-site camera system is mentioned in your property description, Booking,com staff had no reason to suspend your account. I suggest you try calling Booking,com again and again, until you reach a high-level case manager who agrees with your issue.
That is my view entirely and I have pointed this out several times!
PLUS I give guests the choice to switch it off!
I also have signs inside the property and mention it in my welcome letter as a FEATURE for their security.
thank you for your input
steve
I just added to my last post, I would not give guests the option of turning-off your security cameras.
If your guests are too paranoid of the cameras, then there is something odd about their stay in your home.
They even accused me of spying on their young kids!! Hell for years I have taught kids to sail at weekends and have all the necessary police certificates to work with kids. I invited the police round and they exami ned the system. NO PROBLEM. I agree with you that they needed an excuse to check out because the weather was not good.
Cheers
Steve
I am trying to understand how your guests cheated you from the rental fee:
It reminds me of cheap people who order an expensive restaurant meal. Then, they complain and refuse to pay, as they placed a hair in their food to show the waiter.
Hi Don
they booked 5 days and left after 2 days saying they ere paranoid, even when I told them to unplug the system!
they gave me a bad review too saying the place was clean then contradicted themselves in the revue giving me 2.5!
My average review is 9.7 overall.
they left it pretty tidy, leaving the balcony curtains closed and informed me they had left a day later. When I refused a full refund they said they would be writing to the CEO of booking.com!
I am considering going to their Head Office in Amsterdam to raise hell myself. Cannot believe this attitude by booking.com who tell me when I contact them they have sent my complaint to an expert and someone will get back to me in 2 days!
no one contacts me.
mmmmm
steve
Well Don
I am only 1 hour behind Amsterdam and just received
Booking.com
29 September 2019 -
Booking.com
29 September 2019 - 18:26:52
Dear partner, Would like to speak to you but unfortunately, due to our time difference, it's not appropriate to call you at the moment. I would like to inform you that I have sent a request to our department responsible to analyze and reopen your property. Kindly accept our apologies due to the long wait. The case had been sent to our local office and I just sent it to our Partner team as well to try to make it quicker. I thank you for your patience in this matter. We will let you know the outcome as soon as the case is resolved. Kind regards,
If Booking,com has suspended your account, did you have other arriving guests scheduled soon?
If yes, has Booking,com found them other nearby lodging and are paying the rental fee difference?
Just accept these guests are both paranoid and cheap.
I doubt they will contact the Booking,com CEO, as they risk being banned from using Booking.com reservation system in the future.
We don't have security cameras in our two-level house. My wife and I live full-time on the upper floor, while rental guests use our lower-level that features two guest bedrooms, guest TV lounge, guest full-bathroom and private guest balcony. There is no private guest exterior-entrance to our downstairs rental space.
However, a paranoid guest last month wrote in her review that we were always watching her, as she had to enter through our house's upper-floor front door.